Tag: facts

Tasty Tidbits About Eggnog

December 7, 2023MBEhleFood, Seasonal

Eggnog is a rich and delicious beverage that has become synonymous with the most festive time of year. This milk- and egg-based concoction is tasty on its own, or it can be dressed up with other flavors and spiked with a favorite spirit when celebrating the holiday season with other adult partygoers.

December is National Eggnog Month, and December 24 is National Eggnog Day. There is no more perfect time of year to learn everything you can about eggnog – all the while sipping a cup of this creamy concoction. Indulge in these festive facts about the beverage, courtesy of Mental Floss, The Fact Site and Tastemade.

Eggnog likely originated in the medieval period and was known as “posset,” a hot, milk-based drink made of spices and wine. Even though posset could be a cocktail, it also was used as a remedy for colds and flu for its soothing properties.

Milk, eggs and sherry used in the early recipes were difficult to come by, so when eggnog first appeared it was a drink only the wealthy could enjoy. That changed when eggnog was popularized in the American colonies, where dairy products and liquor were more readily available.
Entymologists believe “eggnog” stems from the word “noggin,” which refers to small wooden mugs often used to serve strong ale, known by the slang word “nog.”
In the Medieval period, it was risky to drink milk straight because it wasn’t pasteurized. Eggnog contained alcohol so that it would kill off any harmful bacteria in the milk.
A typical homemade version of eggnog has roughly one egg per serving. However, commercial eggnog is regulated by the FDA and can only contain 1 percent of the product’s final weight in egg yolk solids. That stems from fear of raw egg and salmonella.
President George Washington apparently enjoyed serving eggnog at Christmas, and even had his own special recipe, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
There is no right or wrong alcohol to use when preparing eggnog. Distilled spirits like rum, sherry, cognac, and whiskey all have produced suitable eggnogs.
Puerto Rican coquito is a traditional drink that is very similar to eggnog.
Individuals concerned about eggs or milk in eggnog can enjoy a vegan recipe made from nut milk instead. Commercially produced vegan eggnog offerings are now more widely available.
One of the more notable flavors in eggnog comes from the use of nutmeg. Nutmeg is a fragrant spice made from grinding the seed of the nutmeg tree.

12 Fun Facts About Autumn

October 6, 2017MBEhleAutumn, Seasonal

The cool, crisp days of autumn have arrived. As fall foliage creates a colorful display and kids frolic in leaf piles on the lawn, you may want to pay some mind to a few lesser known facts about this beloved time of year. Autumn may call to mind Halloween and the return of school, but there are other factors that make this season unique.

1. The first day of autumn is known as the autumnal equinox. On this day, the number of hours of daylight and darkness are equal. This is because the sun is aligned with the center of the Earth between the north and south of the planet. The other equinox occurs in the spring, which arrives in the third week of March in the Northern hemisphere.

2. In Greek mythology, autumn was a time when Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld. During this time, Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, was distraught and the ground grew sparse and cold. When Persephone returned in the springtime, plants and life bloomed anew because of Demeter’s happiness.

3. Those who live closest to the equator, which is the center of the planet, never experience the season of autumn. Around the equator, the temperature remains consistently warm.

4. Yellow, orange and variations thereof always reside in the pigmentation of tree leaves, but they are just overpowered by the abundance of green from the chlorophyll in the leaves. Come autumn, however, when the sun weakens and days grow shorter, the amount of chlorophyll in leaves diminishes, allowing the other pigments in the leaves to show through.

5. Red and purple leaves are actually caused by the presence of sugars from sap that is trapped inside of the leaves.

6. Fall is a peak migration time for many species of birds. During autumn, birds will fly to other areas as they seek more hospitable climates. The Arctic tern journeys about 11,000 miles each way for its annual migration. That is like going all the way across the United States about three and a half times

7. Contrary to popular belief, squirrels who have spent the entire autumn collecting acorns and other foods do not hibernate for the winter. Rather, they spend the majority of their time in nests they built to shelter them from harsh weather. When squirrels do come out in winter, they are usually tunneling under the snow to find the food they buried during the fall.

8. Several cultures have ancient traditions that coincide with autumn. For example, the Chinese celebrate the Moon Festival to give thanks for a successful summer harvest.

9. Halloween is a large part of autumn. The concept of wearing masks and costumes hails from ancient Celtic tradition. The Celts believed ghosts roamed on Halloween, and people wore disguises to hide from the spirits.

10. You’re bound to see pumpkins as part of autumn decor. The pumpkin was first named by the Greeks. They called this edible orange item “pepon,” which means “large melon.”

11. Evergreen trees will not lose their leaves like deciduous trees. Their leaves, also called needles, are covered with a thick wax. This wax protects the inner components of the needles, preventing them from freezing.

12. Autumn also signals another colorful spectacle apart from the tree leaves.

The aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, tends to be visible this time of year. This is because geomagnetic storms are about twice as likely to occur during the fall thanks to cool evening weather.

St. Patrick’s Day Facts

March 17, 2015MBEhleSeasonal, Spring

Each March 17th, people the world over slip into something green, take in a neighborhood parade and enjoy St. Patrick‘s Day festivities. A day to honor Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick‘s Day is ripe with traditions and history, much of which is largely unknown to the celebrating masses. In honor of St. Patrick‘s Day, the following are some handy pieces of trivia to impress friends and family each day of March leading up to the big day.

1. St. Patrick was not Irish. He was born in Britain to an aristocratic family. His early life was not particularly religious, but he had a religious conversion in his teenage years.

2. The largest St. Patrick‘s Day Parade is not held in Ireland. That honor belongs to New York City, where the annual St. Patrick‘sDay Parade draws more than a million spectators each year.

3. Thirteen million pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patrick‘sDay. That’s double the amount consumed on other days.

4. Although many people wear some form of green in honor of St.Patrick‘s Day, green was once considered an unlucky color in Ireland.

5. The city of Chicago really gets into the festivities, going so far as to dye the Chicago River green, which the city has been doing since 1962.

6. Evidence suggests there never were any actual snakes for St.Patrick to drive out of Ireland. It stands to reason snakes were a metaphor for the evil of paganism.

7. There are roughly 33 million U.S. residents of Irish ancestry. That number is nearly 9 times the population of Ireland.

8. St. Patrick was not the first person to bring Christianity to Ireland, as monasteries had been built long before St. Patrick‘s arrival.

9. In Ireland, St. Patrick‘s Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. Until the 1970s, many stores and pubs were closed. Laws were changed in 1995.

10. There are about 60 churches and cathedrals named for St.Patrick in Ireland. One of the most famous is St. Patrick‘s Cathedral in Dublin.

11. Each year, members of the Shamrock Club in New London, Wisconsin, change highway signs so the town name reads New Dublin.

12. St. Patrick‘s Day is a national holiday in the Caribbean nation of Montserrat.

13. Some lore regarding St. Patrick says he raised people from the dead.

14. Soda bread is a variety of quick breads where baking soda, and not yeast, is used as the leavening agent.

15. Three-hundred species of plants are considered clover.

16. Blue was the original color associated with St. Patrick.

17. The city of Montreal, Canada, uses a shamrock in its city flag. TF143004